Although South Africa’s violation was clear, FIFA has come under fire for its slow handling of the case — nearly seven months passed between the match and the final ruling. Coaches such as Gernot Rohr, who leads Benin, criticized the lack of clarity before key qualifiers, which left the group standings uncertain for months.
[SRC] https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/caf-world-cup-qualifiers/articles/south-africa-loses-key-points-and-jeopardizes-world-cup-hopes-over-ineligible-player-2025-09-29